Methods and printing system using classification-based consumable use in printing operations

ABSTRACT

An estimation system provides consumable use estimations, such as for ink or toner, in printing operations. The estimation system uses a classification-based consumable use process to estimate the consumable use. A print job is assigned a classification category according to an arbitrary job category selected for the print job and a job property defined for the print job using job settings. A plurality of classification categories are available. Job costing data for the print job is provided and used to determine consumable use values for each sheet in the print job and a total consumable use. This information is used to verify the correct classification category was assigned and to update historical consumable use information. An estimate is provided using the classification category and the distribution of the consumable use for print jobs in the category.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a printing system and associatedmethods to estimate consumable use in printing operations. Moreparticularly, the present invention uses classification-based consumableuse to categorize and track print jobs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

A reason provided by print shops for not estimating consumable use, suchas ink and toner usage, is that they do not receive the print job intime for estimation operations. For print shops like transactional orbook printers, this issue may not be a problem as they use a limited setof papers and also that print job usually have similar coverage. Forprint shops that use a large variety of papers or process many differentkinds of jobs, this issue may be important. Print shops may estimate thecosts for print jobs by classifying print jobs based on their likely inkuse. Pricing is done based on these classifications. This process maywork reasonably well but it is predicated on proper classification andrequires operators to perform periodic validation in order to ensurethat the print shop is pricing jobs properly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method for using classification-based consumable use data in printingoperations is disclosed. The method includes defining a plurality ofclassification categories. Each classification category includes anarbitrary job category and a job property. The method also includesreceiving job costing data for a print job processed at a printingdevice at an estimation system. The method also includes assigning theprint job to a classification category of the plurality ofclassification categories based on a job setting corresponding to thejob property. The method also includes determining a consumable usevalue for each sheet within the print job. The method also includesdetermining a total consumable use according to the consumable usevalues and a total number of pages for the print job. The method alsoincludes aggregating the total consumable use for the print job withexisting consumable use information for the classification category.

A method for using classification-based consumable use data for printingoperations is disclosed. The method includes receiving job costing datafor a print job processed at a printing device at a consumable useestimation system. The method also includes assigning the print job to aclassification category based on an arbitrary job category received withthe print job and a job property of the print job. The arbitrary jobcategory is a user input. The method also includes determining aconsumable use value for each sheet within the print job. The methodalso includes determining a total consumable use according to theconsumable use values and a total number of pages for the print job. Themethod also includes verifying that the print job is classifiedcorrectly according to the consumable use values for the sheets using adistribution for the classification category.

An estimation system for a printing system is disclosed. The estimationsystem includes a processor and a memory. The memory includesinstructions to configure the processor to define a plurality ofclassification categories. Each classification category includes anarbitrary job category and a job property. The processor also isconfigured to receive job costing data for a print job processed at aprinting device at the estimation system. The processor further isconfigured to assign the print job to a classification category of theplurality of classification categories based on the arbitrary jobcategory and the job property. The processor also is configured todetermine a consumable use value for each sheet within the print job.The processor also is configured to determine a total consumable useaccording to the consumable use values and a total number of pages forthe print job. The processor also is configured to aggregate theconsumable use values and the total consumable use for the print jobwith existing consumable use information for the classificationcategory.

A method for classification-based consumable use estimation isdisclosed. The method includes receiving a print job at an estimationsystem. The estimation system provides a consumable use estimate for theprint job. The print job includes at least one job setting. The methodalso includes identifying a classification category from a plurality ofclassification categories for the print job based on an arbitrary jobcategory and a job property defined from the at least one job setting.The arbitrary job category is selected by an operator input. The methodalso includes retrieving consumable use information for theclassification category. The method also includes estimating theconsumable use estimate for the print job by applying a property for theprint job to the consumable use information.

A method for verifying a consumable use estimate for a print job isdisclosed. The method includes receiving a print job at an estimationsystem. The estimation system provides a consumable use estimate for theprint job. The print job includes at least one job setting. The methodalso includes identifying a classification category from a plurality ofclassification categories for the print job based on an arbitrary jobcategory and job property defined from the at least one job setting. Thearbitrary job category is selected by an operator input. The method alsoincludes estimating the consumable use estimate based on theclassification category. The method also includes printing a documentfor the print job. The method also includes generating job costing datafor printing the document. The job costing data includes a consumableuse. The method also includes verifying the consumable use estimateaccording to the consumable use at the estimation system.

An estimation system for a printing system is disclosed. The estimationsystem includes a processor and a memory. The memory includesinstructions to configure the processor to receive a print job at theestimation system. The estimation system provides a consumable useestimate for the print job. The instructions also configure theprocessor to identify a classification category from a plurality ofclassification categories for the print job based on an arbitrary jobcategory and a job property defined from the at least one job setting.The arbitrary job category is selected by an operator input. Theinstructions also configure the processor to retrieve consumable useinformation for the classification category. The instructions alsoconfigure the processor to estimate the consumable use estimate for theprint job by applying a property for the print job to the consumable useinformation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other features and attendant advantages of the present inventionwill be more fully appreciated when considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A illustrates a printing system for printing documents accordingto the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1B illustrates a digital front end (DFE) for a printing deviceaccording to the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of components of the printing devicefor use within the printing system according to the disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of RIP firmware used within the DFEaccording to the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a data flow for classification-based consumable useestimation in accordance with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5A illustrates a distribution chart for use in verifying aclassification category for the print job according to the disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 5B illustrates another distribution chart for use in verifying theclassification category for the print according to the disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 5C illustrates another distribution chart for use in verifying theclassification category for the print according to the disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 6A illustrates a distribution chart for a distribution of theaverage consumable use per page for a classification category accordingto the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 6B illustrates another distribution chart for a distribution of theaverage consumable use per page for a classification category accordingto the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart for using classification-based consumableuse data in printing operations according to the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart for performing classification-basedconsumable use estimation according to the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart for verifying a classification categoryfor a print job according to the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of the estimation system forverifying a consumable use estimate according to the disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart for verifying the consumable useestimate for the print job using the estimation system according to thedisclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments of thepresent invention. Examples of these embodiments are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Numerous specific details are set forth in orderto provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. While theembodiments will be described in conjunction with the drawings, it willbe understood that the following description is not intended to limitthe present invention to any one embodiment. On the contrary, thefollowing description is intended to cover alternatives, modifications,and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

The disclosed embodiments provide a classification-based consumable useestimation system. When a print job is submitted to a printing device,the user may specify a job category with which the print job should beassociated. The printing device raster image processes and prints adocument for the print job as normal. After the document is printed, thedigital front end (DFE) of the printing device sends job costing data toan estimation system.

The estimation system looks at the job costing data. It also assigns theprint job to one of a plurality of classification categories. Theclassification categories are based on both the user-entered categoryand on a job property associated with the print job itself. Jobproperties includes paper type, such as plain, coated, inkjet, and thelike, paper color, paper size, color mode, such as color versusmonochrome, and the like. Once the print job is classified to aclassification category, the estimation system determines the consumableuse per page for the print job. It aggregates that information withexisting consumable use information.

The estimation system may report consumable use for all unique propertycombinations within a specific category. The estimation system also mayreport the following metrics to the operator: average, media, orgeometric mean consumable use per page, and per page consumable usedistribution. It also may report per sheet consumable use per quantile.The operator will have the option to define the number of quantiles,such as quintiles to divide data into 5 bands. This information is usedby the print shop to define assumptions about consumable use fordifferent job classifications, which then may be used to quoteconsumable use for print jobs.

In addition to aggregating information to provide assumptions that theprint shop may use for job quoting, the estimation system also mayverify that print job were categorized properly. The estimation systemmay allow the operator to view how the consumable use for theclassifications compare to each other. When viewing consumable useinformation for classifications, the operator will have the ability toinclude or exclude values for individual properties. The classificationsare meant to cover different ranges of consumable use. For example, if achart for a specific color mode and paper type and color looks like achart showing a distribution, then the print shop will know there is aproblem with the classifications as they are currently defined.

The estimation system also may perform ongoing verification by addingdata for all print jobs to the estimation system. The estimation systemmay warn the print shop if aggregate metrics for the classificationdrift by more than a set amount, which may be configurable by theoperator. The estimation system also may provide feedback on usercategorization of print jobs.

When job costing data is received for a print job, the estimation systemmay determine where in the distribution for the classification the printjob falls. The estimation system may alert the operator that a print jobwas potentially misclassified if the print job falls outside of thedistribution for a specific classification. The estimation system alsomay alert the operator if the print job is within a certain threshold ofthe edges of the current distribution. The estimation system may providethe operator with the option to exclude the print job from theclassification. Alternatively, the estimation system may provide theoperator the option to assign the print job to another classification.

FIG. 1A depicts a printing system 100 for printing documents usingprinting device 104 according to the disclosed embodiments. Printingsystem 100 may be located in a print shop or other environment suitablefor production printing operations. Printing system 100 includes one ormore printing devices 104 that receive print jobs from one or moreclient terminals 102.

Printing device 104 receives print jobs through printing system 100,such as print job 103. After processing print job 103, printing device104 prints or produces document 105 in a paper or media specified by theprint job. Printing device 104 is disclosed in greater detail in FIG. 2. Printing device 104 also includes digital front end (DFE) 106, whichfacilitates processing print job 103. DFE 106 may be disclosed ingreater detail in FIG. 1B. In addition to the components of DFE 106disclosed in FIG. 1B, it also includes various settings that may be ofuse for ink use estimation. This information includes job settings 126,DFE configuration settings 128, and printing device configurationsettings 130. DFE 106 also includes RIP firmware 290, disclosed ingreater detail below.

Printing device 104 also includes consumables 132. Consumables 132 mayrelate to items at or within printing device 104 but are not actuallypart of the printing device itself. Consumables 132, however, are usedin printing operations. Consumables 132 include ink 134 and toner 136.Ink 134 and toner 136 further may be broken into different colorantinks. For example, ink 134 may include cyan ink, magenta ink, yellowink, and black ink. If printing device 104 is not capable of colorprinting, then ink 134 may include only black ink. Printing device 104may include other consumables 132, such as sheets, that are notdisclosed in detail herein.

Print job 103, when printed on printing device 104, uses an amount ofconsumables 132 to produce document 105. In some embodiments, print job103 produces thousands or more of a document. Thus, the amount ofconsumables used for print job 103 may be considerable. As disclosedabove, printing system 100 may need to provide an estimate for the useof consumable 132. The estimate determined for print job 103 may dependon various settings of printing device 104. The settings as well asprint ticket settings 138 associated with print job 103 impact theamount of consumables 132 used to generate document 105.

For example, DFE 106 may use RIP firmware 290 to convert bitmap images,vector graphics, fonts, and the like associated with pages in print job103 to bitmap/rasterized representations of the pages, such as C, M, Y,and K pixels. The sum of the values of pixels of a particular color inthe rasterized pages can be proportional to the amount of consumables132 used by printing device 104 to print that color. RIP firmware 290may rasterize pages of print job 103 according to various imagerasterization settings, as captured by DFE configuration settings 128.For example, these image rasterization parameters may includecalibration curves, paper definitions, ICC profiles, spot colordefinitions, TRCs, color conversion settings, colorant limits for ink ortoner, rendering intent, K preservation, CGR level, max colorantdensities, print margins, halftones, and the like.

Print engine 260 also is included with printing device 104. Printingdevice 104 may correspond to an industrial printing device capable ofprinting thousands of pages in an hour. Printing device 104 may beink-based, toner-based, or both. Print engine 260 may include variousparameters, shown as printing device configuration settings 130, thatcan control the operation of printing device 104, which impacts theamount of consumables 132 required by the printing device. For example,these settings may include printing device maintenance settings thatcontrol or effect head cleaning intervals, head clogging preventionintervals, and the like of printing device 104. Printing deviceconfiguration settings 130 also may include spitting, or printing spraypattern over all content, the printing of purge sheets, the printing ofspit lines, or lines printed between page frames in a roll-fed printingdevice to ensure that all jets of the print head fire when instructed.

To lower printing device consumable usage, RIP firmware 290 may beconfigured via image rasterization parameters of DFE configurationsettings 128 to reduce the density for each colorant, convert colorimages to black and white, and adjust tone reproduction curves (TRCs) tolower printing device use of consumables 132. Gray component replacementlevels may be adjusted via DFE configuration settings 128.

The disclosed embodiments also include an estimation system 108 thatincludes estimation logic to facilitate performance of ink useestimation. Estimation system 108 may include estimation logic 118having a DFE emulator 120 and a print engine emulator 122 configured toemulate operations performed by DFE 106 and print engine 260 of printingdevice 104. Print engine 260 is disclosed in greater detail below. DFE,emulator 120 and print engine emulator 122 may be configured with jobsettings 126, DFE configuration settings 128, and printing deviceconfiguration settings 130 to match settings associated with printingdevice 104. Estimation logic 118 also may be configured to estimate theamount of consumables 132 to process print job 103 and produce document105.

In operation, estimation logic 118 may monitor information and settingsof printing device 104 to determine any differences from previousestimates. This feature facilitates real-time configuration informationfor DFE 106, RIP firmware 290, or print engine 260 with thecorresponding settings utilized by printing device 104.

Estimation system 108 may be any device within system 100 and connectedto network 190 to receive and send data to printing device 104.Estimation system 108 also may be connected to other printing deviceswithin system 100. Preferably, estimation system 108 is a server. Italso may be another device, such as a computer. Estimation system 108includes a memory 114 and a processor 112. Estimation system 108 alsoincludes an input/output (I/O) subsystem 110 and a quote database 116.

Estimation system 108 also may refer to consumable estimation softwarethat executes on a device. As disclosed below, “offline estimationdevice” may refer to this software. The term “offline” may refer to thefact that estimation system 108 is not part of printing device 104, oran “inline” component of the printing process.

Processor 112 is in communication with memory 114. Processor 112 isconfigured to execute instruction code in memory 114. The instructioncode controls offline estimation device 108 to perform variousoperations for estimating consumables 132 that may be used by printingdevice 104. Processor 112 may be a computer processing unit thatexecutes the instruction code in memory 114.

I/O subsystem 110 may include one or more input, output, or input/outputinterfaces that are configured to facilitate communications with otherdevices within system 100, such as client terminal 102 and printingdevice 104. An example of I/O subsystem 110 may be configured todynamically determine the communication methodology utilized by entitiesof system 100 to communication information thereto. For example, I/Osubsystem 110 may determine that a first entity utilizes a RESTful APIand can, as a result, communicate with the entity using an interfacethat uses a RESTful communication methodology.

Estimation logic 118 is implemented within offline estimation device 108to estimate the amount of consumables 132 to be used by printing device104 for printing document 105 of print job 103. Estimation logic 118includes DFE emulator 120 and print engine emulator 122, as disclosedabove. DFE emulator 120 and print engine emulator 122 are configuredwith configuration setting information to match the settings andparameters of printing device 104.

DFE emulator 120 may be configured to emulate operations performed byDFE 106 of printing device 104. The emulation depends on varioussettings specified for printing device 104. For example, DFE emulator120 may be configured to convert bitmap images, vector graphics, fonts,and the like specified in sample pages of print job 103 tobitmap/rasterized representations of the pages using C, M, Y, and Kpixels. The manner in which DFE emulator 120 performs the conversion maydepend on various image rasterization settings of the DFE emulator,which correspond to the image rasterization settings of DFE 106.

In some embodiments, DFE emulator 120 retrieves a RIP of the pluralityof RIPs 124 available at estimation system 108. Selection of theappropriate RIP provides a better basis to estimate ink use. Forexample, estimation logic 118 may determine the DFE, software versionfor DFE, 106 to select a RIP that has the same version. Estimationsystem 108 includes many different RIPs 124. Preferably, it includes onefor each software version that has been released. DFE emulator 120 mayautomatically configure the selected RIP using configuration settingsfrom information retrieved from DFE 106.

Print engine emulator 122 may be configured to emulate operationsperformed by print engine 260 or printing device 104. The emulation maydepend on various printing device configuration settings 130 forprinting device 104.

Estimates provided using estimation logic 118 of estimation system 108may be stored as a record or entry in quote database 116. Each entry toquote database 116 may specify aspects associated with an estimateprovided to a customer for processing a particular print job 103. Eachentry may include field for job settings 126, DFE configuration settings128, and printing device configuration settings 130 used to provide theestimate as well as a consumables estimate field and a cost field. Otherinformation may be provided such as a client information field, a jobinformation field, or a unique identification (ID) field. Preferably,print job 103 is a recurring printing operation in that multipleinstances will occur that involves the printing of document 105.

FIG. 1B depicts a block diagram of DFE 106 according to the disclosedembodiments. DFE 106 includes a receiver 181, an RIP firmware 290, aCMYK data storage 184, an input/output connector 185, and a correctingunit 186. RIP firmware 290 also is disclosed in FIG. 2 and in greaterdetail in FIG. 3 . Additional components within DFE 106 may beimplemented, including those disclosed in FIG. 1A. DFE 106, therefore,includes data for job settings 126, DFE configuration settings 128, and,optionally, printing device configuration settings 130, even thoughthese are not shown in FIG. 1B.

Receiver 181 receives print job 103 received within system 100 andoutputs the print job to RIP firmware 290. Receiver 181 also may receivecolor information for the document or documents within the print job. Itmay output the color information to correcting unit 186. The print jobreceived by receiver 181 is associated with image data to be printed onprint media. It also may include print condition information includinginformation for indicating single-sided printing or two-sided printingor print medium-type information along with other data associated withthe print job.

RIP firmware 290 converts image data associated with the print job intoraster data to thereby generate rendering data, and outputs thegenerated rendering data. RIP firmware 290 also converts the renderingdata into rendering data in a CMYK format. When the rendering data isoriginally in the CMYK format, or CMYK rendering data, the conversionmay not be performed. RIP firmware 290 may perform gradation conversionof the CMYK rendering data, with reference to one or more tonereproduction curves (TRCs). A TRC refers to data indicating therelationship between a colored gradation value for rendering data andprint color, or print density, on a given print medium.

When print color provided by printing device 104 alters over time, theTRCs stored in CMYK data storage 184 may be each deviated from anactually measured relationship between a colored value and print color.When the TRC is shifted from the actual relationship, gradationconversion for each colored gradation value cannot match a desired printcolor. In this regard, correcting unit 186 corrects the deviation, fromthe actual relationship, of the TRC stored in CMYK data storage 184 inorder to allow each colored gradation value to match a desired printcolor. Correcting unit 186 converts RGB color information obtainedthrough receiver 181 into CMYK color information. Correcting unit 186may use the converted CMYK color information to generate the TRC. TheTRC stored in CMYK data storage 184 is replaced with the generated TRC.Correcting unit 186 may correct the TRC. Correcting unit 186 may rewritea part of the TRC stored in CMYK data storage 184 to thereby correct theTRC.

The rendering data generated by RIP firmware 290 is transmitted withinprinting device 104 via input/output connector 185. The print conditioninformation and the print medium type, as well as the rendering data,may be transmitted to engine 260 found in printing device 104 disclosedin FIG. 2 .

DFE 106 also includes web user interface 188 that may communicate withother printing devices or estimation system 108, if it is located at aseparate device, using, for example, input/output connector 185. Webuser interface 188, or web application, allows a user of the DFEs ofother printing devices to interact with content or software running onDFE 106.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of components of printing device 104according to the disclosed embodiments. The architecture shown in FIG. 2may apply to any multi-functional printing device or image formingapparatus that performs various functions, such as printing, scanning,storing, copying, and the like within system 100. As disclosed above,printing device 104 may send and receive data from estimation system108, if a separate device, and other devices within system 100.

Printing device 104 includes a computing platform 201 that performsoperations to support these functions. Computing platform 201 includes acomputer processing unit (CPU) 202, an image forming unit 204, a memoryunit 206, and a network communication interface 210. Other componentsmay be included but are not shown for brevity. Printing device 104,using computing platform 201, may be configured to perform variousoperations, such as scanning, copying, printing, receiving or sending afacsimile, or document processing. As such, printing device 104 may be aprinting device or a multi-function peripheral including a scanner, andone or more functions of a copier, a facsimile device, and a printer. Toprovide these functions, printing device 104 includes printer components220 to perform printing operations, copier components 222 to performcopying operations, scanner components 224 to perform scanningoperations, and facsimile components 226 to receive and send facsimiledocuments. CPU 202 may issue instructions to these components to performthe desired operations.

Printing device 104 also includes a finisher 211 and one or more papercassettes 212. Finisher 211 includes rotatable downstream rollers tomove papers with an image formed surface after the desired operation toa tray. Finisher 211 also may perform additional actions, such assorting the finished papers, binding sheets of papers with staples,doubling, creasing, punching holes, folding, and the like.

Paper cassettes 212 supply paper to various components 220, 222, 224,and 226 to create the image formed surfaces on the papers. Papercassettes 212 also may be known as paper trays. Paper cassettes 212 mayinclude papers having various sizes, colors, composition, and the like.Papers or media within paper cassettes 212 may be considered “loaded”onto printing device 104. The information for printing these papers maybe captured in a paper catalog stored at DFE 106. Paper cassettes 212may be removed to refill as needed. The printed papers from components220, 222, 224, and 226 are placed within one or more output bins 227.One or more output bins 227 may have an associated capacity to receivefinished print jobs before it must be emptied or printing paused. Theoutput bins may include one or more output trays.

Document processor input feeder tray 230 may include the physicalcomponents of printing device 104 to receive papers and documents to beprocessed. Feeder tray also may refer to one or more input trays forprinting device 104. A document is placed on or in document processorinput feeder tray 230, which moves the document to other componentswithin printing device 104. The movement of the document from documentprocessor input feeder tray 230 may be controlled by the instructionsinput by the user. For example, the document may move to a scannerflatbed for scanning operations. Thus, document processor input feedertray 230 provides the document to scanner components 224. As shown inFIG. 2 , document processor input feeder tray 230 may interact withprint engine 260 to perform the desired operations.

Memory unit 206 includes memory storage locations 214 to storeinstructions 215. Instructions 215 are executable on CPU 202 or otherprocessors associated with printing device 104, such as any processorswithin components 220, 222, 224, or 226. Memory unit 206 also may storeinformation for various programs and applications, as well as dataspecific to printing device 104. For example, a storage location 214 mayinclude data for running an operating system executed by computingplatform 201 to support the components within printing device 104.According to the disclosed embodiments, memory unit 206 may store thetokens and codes used in performing the deferral operations for printingdevice 104.

Memory unit 206 may comprise volatile and non-volatile memory. Volatilememory may include random access memory (RAM). Examples of non-volatilememory may include read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), digital tape, a harddisk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD). Memory unit 206 alsoincludes any combination of readable or writable volatile memories ornon-volatile memories, along with other possible memory devices.

Computing platform 201 may host one or more processors, such as CPU 202.These processors are capable of executing instructions 215 stored at oneor more storage locations 214. By executing these instructions, theprocessors cause printing device 104 to perform various operations. Theprocessors also may incorporate processing units for specific purposes,such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs). Other processors may be included forexecuting operations particular to components 220, 222, 224, and 226. Inother words, the particular processors may cause printing device 104 toact as a printer, copier, scanner, and a facsimile device.

Printing device 104 also includes an operations panel 208, which may beconnected to computing platform 201. Operations panel 208 may include adisplay unit 216 and an input unit 217 for facilitating interaction witha user to provide commands to printing device 104. Display unit 216 maybe any electronic video display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD).Input unit 217 may include any combination of devices that allow usersto input information into operations panel 208, such as buttons, a touchscreen, a keyboard or keypad, switches, dials, and the like. Preferably,input unit 217 includes a touch-screen digitizer overlaid onto displayunit 216 that senses touch to receive inputs from the user. By thismanner, the user interacts with display unit 216. Using thesecomponents, one may enter codes or other information into printingdevice 104.

Display unit 216 also may serve as to display results from offlineestimation device 108, if applicable. Estimation system 108 may send inkuse estimation data to printing device 104 for display. For example, theoperator at printing device 104 may request an estimate for a receivedprint job 103. Printing device 104 requests an estimate for consumables132 according to the disclosed embodiments.

Printing device 104 also includes network communication processing unit218. Network communication processing unit 218 may establish a networkcommunication using network communication interface 210, such as awireless or wired connection with one or more other image formingapparatuses or a network service. CPU 202 may instruct networkcommunication processing unit 218 to transmit or retrieve informationover a network using network communication interface 210. As data isreceived at computing platform 201 over a network, network communicationprocessing unit 218 decodes the incoming packets and delivers them toCPU 202. CPU 202 may act accordingly by causing operations to occur onprinting device 104. CPU 202 also may retrieve information stored inmemory unit 206, such as settings for printing device 104.

Printing device 104 also includes print engine 260, as disclosed above.Engine 260 may be a combination of hardware, firmware, or softwarecomponents that act accordingly to accomplish a task. For example,engine 260 is comprised of the components and software to print adocument. It may receive instructions from computing platform 201 afteruser input via operations panel 208. Alternatively, engine 260 mayreceive instructions from other attached or linked devices.

Engine 260 manages and operates the low-level mechanism of the printingdevice engine, such as hardware components that actuate placement of inkor toner onto paper. Engine 260 may manage and coordinate thehalf-toner, toner cartridges, rollers, schedulers, storage, input/outputoperations, and the like. Raster image processor (RIP) firmware 290 thatinterprets the page description languages (PDLs) would transmit and sendinstructions down to the lower-level engine 260 for actual rendering ofan image and application of the ink onto paper during operations onprinting device 104. RIP firmware 290 may be located in DFE 106, asdisclosed above.

Printing device 104 may include one or more sensors 262 that collectdata and information to provide to computing platform 201 or CPU 202.Each sensor 262 may be used to monitor certain operating conditions ofprinting device 104. Sensors 262 may be used to indicate a location of apaper jam, failure of hardware or software components, broken parts,operating system problems, document miss-feed, toner level, as well asother operating conditions. Sensors 262 also may detect the number ofpages printed or processed by printing device 104. When a sensor 262detects an operational issue or failure event, it may send a signal toCPU 202. CPU 202 may generate an error alert associated with theproblem. The error alert may include an error code.

Some errors have hardware-related causes. For example, if a failureoccurred in finisher 211, such as a paper jam, display unit 216 maydisplay information about the error and the location of the failureevent, or the finisher. In the instance when the paper jam occurs inpaper cassettes 212, display unit 216 displays the information about thejam error as located in one of the paper cassettes.

Some errors have a type of firmware-related cause. For example, networkcommunication processing unit 218 may cause a firmware or softwareerror. Display unit 216 may display the firmware-related error, anyapplicable error codes, and provide recommendations to address theerror, such as reboot the device.

Memory unit 206 may store the history of failure events and occurrederrors with a timestamp of each error. Printing device 104 communicateswith other devices within system 100 via network communication interface210 by utilizing a network protocol, such as the ones listed above. Insome embodiments, printing device 104 communicates with other deviceswithin system 100 through REST API, which allows the server to collectdata from multiple devices within system 100. REST API and SOAP areapplication protocols used to submit data in different formats, such asfiles, XML messages, JSON messages, and the like. By utilizingapplicable network communication protocols and application protocols,printing device 104 submits and receives data from estimation system 108as well as other printing devices within system 100.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of RIP firmware 290 used within DFE 106according to the disclosed embodiments. RIP firmware 290 converts textand image data from different file formats including PDF, TIFF, or JPEGinto a format that printing device 104 can understand. The process ofraster image processing a page implements several steps to be performed,regardless whether the page is submitted as PostScript, PDF, or anyother page description language (PDL). In short, RIP firmware 290 mayprovide interpretation, rasterization, and screening.

Job file 302 may be a job file associated with print job 103. Job file302 may be a PostScript file in code. Job file 302 may be provided toRIP firmware 290 in DFE 106 to convert its code into raster or bitmapcode. Job file 302 is received at interpreter 304, which interprets thecommands in the code to redraw the object and elements of a page asvector objects 306. The PDL of job file 302 is read and decoded intographical elements to be placed on a sheet. Each element may be animage, a character of text, a fill, stroke, and the like or listed invector objects 306.

Renderer 308 processes vector objects 306 to convert every graphicalelement into the appropriate pattern of pixels to form the outputraster. The resolution independent vector objects are converted intopixels 310. Screening 312 takes the raster image of pixels 310 to formindividually screened cyan, magenta, yellow, and black separations.These are halftone dots in the form of a bitmap 314 consisting ofcommands that can be understood by print engine 260.

RIP firmware 290 also may implement color converter 316. Color converter316 may implement the functions disclosed above with regard to colorconversion. Color converter 316 provides color management andcalibration. These actions may be applied during interpretation orrendering, depending on configuration and job content. Color printingresources may be accessed to provide the color management.

RIP firmware 290 may have a software version or other identificationassociated with it that distinguishes this version from others in system100. Printing device 104 may implement several different RIP firmwareversions depending on the type of print job 103. Further, differentprinting devices may implement different versions of the RIP firmware.Preferably, RIP firmware 290 is software implemented.

The disclosed embodiments also may determine dot count value 309 fromthe rendered image provided by renderer 308. Dot count values may beadjusted based on screening 312 and based on settings at printing device104. Dot count value 309 may be reported to estimation system 108, asdisclosed below.

The rendered document, or bitmap 314, may be sent to print engine 260.Estimation system 108 may apply a formula to dot count value 309 alongwith applicable settings to determine consumable use. Further, thedisclosed embodiments may use this information to use a singleconsumable use estimate with a variety of job settings 126, DFEconfiguration settings 128, or printing device configuration settings130. Dot count value 309 should not change once determined from therendered document from RIP firmware 290. Engine specific settings, suchas halftones, however, will impact consumable use at print engine 260,and may differ over time at printing device 104 or at another printingdevice within system 100.

FIG. 4 depicts a data flow 400 for classification-based consumable useestimation in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. Data flow 400may occur in estimation system 108 while monitoring printing operationsand receiving consumable use information from the connected printingdevices. For example, printing device 104 may report data to estimationsystem 108 related to the amount of consumables 132 used in printingdocument 105. Estimation system 108 may use this information todetermine if the consumable use corresponds with the determinedclassification category for print job 103.

When print job 103 is submitted to printing device 104, the operator mayoptionally specify an arbitrary job category 402 with which the printjob should be associated. Several arbitrary job categories should beavailable to print at printing device 104. Examples of arbitrary jobcategories include high quality photograph books, trade books, marketingpostcards, economy postcards, brochures, posters, and the like.Arbitrary job categories may relate to the different items that areprintable at printing device 104. As print job 103 is associated withprint ticket settings 138 that set forth job settings 126 and otherinformation that defines how print job 103 is printed at printing device104, arbitrary job category 402 may not influence how the print job isprocessed in any way.

Printing device 104 processes and prints print job 103 to generatedocument 105. DFE 106 may determine use of consumables 132 as well asthe number of sheets used in document 105. DFE 106 sends this jobcosting information to estimation system 108. FIG. 4 may show jobcosting data 401, which is disclosed in greater detail below.

Estimation system 108 looks at job costing data 401 and classifies printjob 103 into a classification category. The classification is based onarbitrary job category 402, preferably entered by the operator and onjob property 404. Job property 404 may be determined one or a pluralityof job settings 126. Examples of job property 404 may be paper type(such as plain, coated, inkjet, and the like), paper color, paper size,color mode (monochrome vs. color), and the like. For example, jobsettings 126 may define what type of paper to use for print job 103.From the job settings, estimation system 108 determines that jobproperty 404 is that paper type, such as coated. Job properties are notarbitrary or assigned by the operator but relate to print job 103through its job settings 126. Instead, they relate to the actualsettings used to complete print job 103.

A classification is a combination of arbitrary job category 402, asdefined by the operator, and unique values for selected job properties,such as paper type. Preferably, estimation system 108 will have aplurality of classification categories 406. For example, plurality ofclassification categories 406 may include the arbitrary job categorieslisted above and job properties of paper types. Thus, classificationcategories may include:

Photo Books/Plain Paper Photo Books/Coated Paper Photo Books/ InkjetPaper Trade Books/Plain Paper Trade Books/Coated Paper Trade Books/Inkjet Paper Postcards/Plain Paper Postcards/Coated Paper Postcards/Inkjet Paper Brochures/Plain Paper Brochures/Coated Paper Brochures/Inkjet PaperThese classification categories may be further broken down usingadditional job properties. For example, each classification categorylisted above may be split into monochrome and color print jobs.Alternatively, each classification category may be further split intopage sizes. Thus, along with arbitrary job category 402, the disclosedembodiments may account for three job properties in classifying printjob 103: paper type, paper size, and color printing.

Estimation system 108 receives arbitrary job category 402 and derivesjob property 404 from job settings 126. It then assigns print job 103 toone of plurality of classification categories 406, or classificationcategory 408. Using the classification categories disclosed above, plainpaper/coated may be identified by estimation system 108 asclassification category 408.

Once print job 103 is classified, estimation system 108 determines theconsumable use per page for the job. One way to do this is by looking atconsumable use for each sheet in document 105. For example, referring tojob costing data 401, document 105 may be broken down per to one or moresheets 410, such as sheet 1 4101, sheet 2 4102 to sheet N 410N. For eachsheet, a consumable use 412 is determined. Thus, consumable uses 412 mayinclude consumable use 1 4121, consumable use 2 4122, to consumable useN 412N. Total sheets 414 is determined from job costing data 401 whiletotal consumable use 416 is determined by compiling consumable uses 412,shown as 4121, 4122 to 412N.

Alternatively, the disclosed embodiments may receive total consumableuse 416 from DFE 106 for print job 103 by compiling consumable uses 412.Using this value, the disclosed embodiments may divide total consumableuse 416 by total sheets 414 to determine consumable use per sheet 418.Estimation system 108 takes total consumable use 416 and consumable useper sheet 418 and associates this data with consumable use information420 deriving from classification category 408. Classification category408 corresponds to consumable use information 420, which is existingconsumable use information for other print jobs assigned to therespective classification category. Estimation system 108 aggregatestotal consumable use 416 or consumable use per sheet 418 with consumableuse information 420 to generate aggregated total consumable useinformation 422.

Estimation system 108 reports consumable use for all unique propertycombinations within a specific category. It may report the followingmetrics to the operator: average, median, or geometric consumable useper page, per page ink use distribution, and per page consumable usequantile (the operator has the option to define the number of quantiles,such as quintiles to divide data into 5 bands). This information, plusthe aggregated values for total consumable use 416 and consumable useper sheet 418, may be used to quote future print jobs. For example,aggregated consumable use information 422 for arbitrary job category402, as selected by the customer, and job property 404 may be used toestimate the consumable use per page for such print jobs, or a totalconsumable use estimate based on the total number of sheets for theprint job.

Using the per page consumable use distribution, distribution analysisengine 424 may verify that print jobs are categorized properly.Estimation system 108 may allow the operator to see how the consumableuse for the classification categories compare to each other. Whenviewing consumable use information for classification category 408, theoperator may have the ability to include or exclude values forindividual job properties. Distribution analysis engine 424 may providethis information as well as verify that print job 103 corresponds to thecorrect classification category 408. Distribution analysis engine 424may be part of estimation system 108.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C depict example distribution charts 500, 510, and520, respectively, for use in verifying classification category 408 forprint job 103 according to the disclosed embodiments. Distribution chart500 may be for print job 103 after assigning classification category408. Distribution charts 510 and 520 may be examples of historicaldistribution charts for the assigned classification category provided atestimation system 108. According to the disclosed embodiments, ifclassification category 408 is verified, then the results shown indistribution chart 510 or 520 may be updated with the results fromdistribution chart 500.

FIG. 5A depicts distribution chart 500 for how consumable use isdistributed within print job 103. Using job costing data 401, estimationsystem 108 determines the consumable use per page. This data is plottedagainst the number of sheets that fall into a range for the consumableuse. For example, print job 103 may include 100 pages, sheets,impressions, and the like. Distribution chart 500 shows the number ofsheets on axis 504. These numbers are the total number of sheets thatfall within the consumable use range shown on axis 502.

As disclosed above, the amount of consumable use may be determined foreach sheet. In this example, consumables 132 may be ink 134. Thus, theamount of ink in picoliters (pL) may be determined for each sheet ofprint job 103. Thus, for distribution chart 500, 10 pages use between0.015 and 0.025 pL of ink, 5 pages use between 0.026 and 0.035 pL ofink, 5 pages use between 0.036 and 0.045 pL of ink, 35 pages use between0.046 and 0.055 pL of ink, 30 pages use between 0.056 and 0.065 pL ofink, 5 pages use between 0.066 and 0.075 pL of ink, and 10 pages usebetween 0.076 and 0.085 pL of ink.

The ranges for ink use may vary as amounts increase betweenclassification categories. Further, in the given example, print job 103includes 100 pages. As can be appreciated, print jobs may include anynumber of pages. For example, print job 103 may include 100,000 pages,with axis 504 adjusted accordingly. As shown in FIG. 5A, 65% of thepages of print job 103 use between 0.046 and 0.065 pL of ink.

FIG. 5B depicts distribution chart 510 for the historical job costingdata for classification category 408 according to the disclosedembodiments. Distribution chart 510 may be based on consumable useinformation 410 provided by estimation system 108 for the selectedclassification category 408. For example, estimation system 108 maydetermine that classification category 408 for print job 103 ispostcard/coated. Distribution chart 510 is the compiled results of jobcosting data 401 generated for previous print jobs in thatclassification category. For example, twenty (20) print jobs with 100sheets have provided job costing data for consumable use. Distributionchart 510 shows the average consumable use distribution for those printjobs.

Axis 512 shows the consumable use per page while axis 514 shows thenumber of sheets of the print jobs that fall within the range on axis512. In other words, print jobs for postcard/coated documents willusually have the distribution shown in distribution chart 510. As shown,5 pages use 0.015 to 0.025 pL of ink, 10 pages use 0.026 to 0.035 pL ofink, 5 pages use 0.036 to 0.045 pL of ink, 40 pages use 0.046 to 0.055pL of ink, 30 pages use 0.056 to 0.065 pL of ink, 5 pages use 0.066 to0.075 pL of ink, and 5 pages use 0.076 to 0.085 pL of ink. Thedistribution of ink use shown by distribution chart 510 may differ fromthat of distribution chart 500 for print job 103. The disclosedembodiments may analyze these differences to verify that print job 103is classified properly.

In some embodiments, the number of sheets for axis 514 may be replacedby a percentage of sheets used within the print jobs. For example, 40%of the sheets used in a print job for classification category 408 ofpostcard/coated should use between 0.046 to 0.055 pL of ink. Thisfeature may be more accurate than the number of sheets in case thenumber of sheets vary greatly between print jobs.

Percentages also may be used to determine estimates for consumable usefor print jobs within the classification category. Estimation system 108may break down the number of sheets, impressions, pages, and the likeand use the percentages provided by distribution chart 510 to provide aconsumable use estimate. For example, if a print job has 10,000 sheetsof coated postcards, then distribution chart 510 can estimate that 40%,or 4000 sheets, will use between 0.046 to 0.055 pL of ink. The remainingvalues for consumable use per page may be used to determine the totalconsumable use estimate. This total consumable use estimate may becompared to total consumable use 416 from job costing data 401 to ensurethe estimates are accurate.

Estimation system 108, using distribution analysis engine 424, cancompare distribution chart 500 to distribution chart 510 to determinewhether print job 103 was classified properly. In some embodiments, theoperator may view the distribution charts to confirm the accuracy of theclassification. In other embodiments, distribution analysis engine 424compares the values in the distribution charts to determine whether athreshold amount is reached that shows too much variance between thecharts. A high level of variance will mean print job 103 may not beclassified properly. For example, if a comparison of distribution chart500 to distribution chart 510 shows a variance in the ink use per pageof more than 30%, then the operator may be notified.

After distribution chart 500 is confirmed as accurate, its plurality ofvalues, or the values of job costing data 401, is added to consumableuse information 420 to update distribution chart 510. The addition ofdistribution chart 500 to distribution chart 510 may cause some slightvariance that will be reflected in future estimates for thisclassification category or to verify subsequent print jobs as beingclassified properly.

FIG. 5C depicts another distribution chart 520 for use in verifyingdistribution chart 500 for print job 103. Distribution chart 520includes axis 522 for consumable use per page and axis 524 for thenumber of sheets assigned to the specific range of consumable use. Thedata shown by distribution chart 520 resembles that of distributionchart 510 but differs in how the consumable use is distributed amongstthe consumable use ranges.

When compared to distribution chart 500, it may be seen that significantdifferences exist such that distribution chart 500 probably does notreflect the consumable use per page of the classification category fordistribution chart 520. The disclosed embodiments would determine thatdistribution chart 500 and distribution chart 520 indicate that printjob 103 was classified incorrectly. For example, 40 sheets of print jobsfor distribution chart 520 use 0.036 to 0.045 pL of ink as compared to 5sheets in distribution chart 500. No sheets use 0.056 to 0.065 pL of inkin distribution chart 520 as compared to 30 sheets in distribution chart500 for print job 103. The disclosed embodiments would flag thesedistribution charts as having too much variance to be in the sameclassification category.

FIGS. 6A and 6B depicts distribution charts 600 and 610 fordistributions of the average consumable use per page for classificationcategory 408 according to the disclosed embodiments. Distribution charts600 and 610 show the percentage of print jobs having a designatedaverage consumable use per page. Axis 602 shows the ranges for averageconsumable use, or ink use using the above examples, per page for aprint job. An overall ink use per page may be determined using jobcosting data 401. This amount is assigned to a range on axis 604.

The total number of print jobs may reach into 100s or 1000s, so thepercentages of these print jobs having the average consumable use perpage range is shown, with the percentages from 0 to 100 shown by axis602. In some embodiments, axis 602 may be the number of print jobs of atotal number having the range on axis 604. Looking at the distributionover the ink use ranges, the disclosed embodiments may determine whetherthe classification category is accurate for consumable use estimation.

Referring to distribution chart 600, it may be seen that thedistribution is tight with little overlap between the ranges. The rangeof 0.026 to 0.035 pL of ink applies to 70% of the print jobs forclassification category 408. Estimates using these values will mostlikely be accurate. There is some variance in the ranges of 0.016 to0.025 pL of ink and 0.036 to 0.045 pL of ink, but these are 20% or lessof the total print jobs, respectively.

In contrast, distribution chart 610 shows a lot of overlap betweenranges of consumable use. No range is above 30% of the print jobs forthis classification category. Further, the percentages appear evenlydistributed over a range between 0.016 to 0.055 pL of ink, which may betoo loose to provide an accurate consumable use estimate. The disclosedembodiments may determine that the classification of print jobs forclassification category 408 for distribution chart 610 may need to bebroken down further or a problem may need to be addressed for print jobswithin the associated classification category.

Estimation system 108 also may perform ongoing verification operationsby adding job costing data for all jobs. Estimation system 108 may warnthe print shop if the aggregate metrics for the classification drift bymore than a set amount. Using the above example, if distribution chart600 drifts to where any range is not above 50%, then the operator may bealerted.

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart 700 for using classification-based consumableuse data in printing operations according to the disclosed embodiments.Flowchart 700 may refer to FIGS. 1A to 6B for illustrative purposes.Flowchart 700, however, is not limited to the embodiments disclosed inFIGS. 1A to 6B.

Step 702 executes by defining plurality of classification categories 406for print jobs analyzed by estimation system 108. As disclosed above,the different categories for print jobs may be further broken intoclassification categories based on job properties derived from jobsettings 126 for a print job. Preferably, there are severalclassification categories defined to provide distinctive data for eachcategory.

Step 704 executes by receiving job costing data 401 for a completedprint job 103. Step 704 also executes by providing arbitrary jobcategory 402. Arbitrary job category 402 may be selected by the operatoror customer before print job 103 is submitted. Referring to FIG. 1A,printing device 104 may print document 105. DFB 106 compiles the jobcosting data for performing the printing operations and reports this toestimation system 108. Step 706 executes by determining job property 404for print job 103 based on job settings 126. In some embodiments, two ormore job properties may be determined. Job property 404 is not providedby the operator or customer but determined from the print job itself.

Step 708 executes by assigning print job 103 to a classificationcategory 408 from plurality of classification categories 406. Theassignment is made based on arbitrary job category 402 and job property404. Using the above examples, arbitrary job category 402 may bepostcard as selected by the operator. Job settings 126 may set forththat the postcards are to be printed using coated paper having aspecified paper size, and using color printing. All of these featuresmay be analyzed to derive job properties 404 for print job 103.Classification category 408, therefore, includes arbitrary job category402 plus all applicable job properties 404.

Step 710 executes by determining a consumable use value for each sheetwithin print job 103. For example, sheets 410 may be broken down todetermine consumable use amounts 412. Sheet 1 of sheets 410 may useconsumable use amount 1 for consumable amounts 412. Sheet 2 of sheets410 may use consumable use amount 2, which differs from consumable useamount 1. Step 712 executes by determining a total consumable use 416from sheets 410 and consumable use amounts 412.

Flowchart 700 then may proceed to step 714, which executes byaggregating total consumable use 416 along with average consumable useper page data with existing consumable use information 420. The new jobcosting data is added to the historical data. Flowchart 700 also mayproceed to step 716. Step 716 executes by determining a metric fromprint job 103 based on total consumable use 416. The metric may be anaverage consumable use per page, a media consumable use per page, or ageometric mean consumable use per page.

Using the metric and job costing data 401, a distribution chart may begenerated for the consumable use distribution for print job 103. Thus,step 718 executes by determining the number of quantiles for use withina distribution analysis. For example, if the metric is consumable useper page, then the range of consumable use may be determined and theapplicable ranges defined as quantiles. Referring to distribution chart500, 7 quantiles may be shown. Step 720 executes by creatingdistribution chart 500 using job costing data 401 and the definedquantiles, or the values for axis 502.

FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart 800 for performing classification-basedconsumable use estimation according to the disclosed embodiments.Flowchart 800 may refer to FIGS. 1A-7 for illustrative purposes.Flowchart 800, however, is not limited to the embodiments disclosed byFIGS. 1A-7 .

The disclosed embodiments may estimate consumable use for a print jobwithout doing rendered or other operations for the print job. Usingestimation system 108, the disclosed embodiments may provide an estimateusing the classification categories. As disclosed above, estimationsystem 108 may use historical job costing data to generate distributioncharts for consumable use information 410 for a specific classificationcategory 408. Print job 103 is submitted with job settings 126. Usingthe classification assignment disclosed in flowchart 700, theappropriate classification category may be selected and used to provideconsumable use estimates.

An estimate to process and print document 105 for print job 103 includesan estimate for consumables 132, whether for ink 134 or toner 136.Consumable use may differ from other factors for an estimate, such ascost of a sheet, as it may depend on several factors within printingdevice 104. In known estimate processes, the print job is partiallyprocessed or rendered to determine the consumable use estimate, such asdetermining dot count value 309 in FIG. 3 .

The disclosed embodiments, however, do not need to go through suchoperations, thereby freeing up DFB 106 and resources on printing devicefor printing operations. Instead, estimation system 108 may provideconsumable use estimate using classification-based processes. Estimationsystem 108 may use job costing data compiled for print jobs assigned toa specific classification category to provide consumable use estimate.

Step 802 executes by receiving print job 103 at estimation system 108.The operator or customer may submit print job 103 to estimation system108 for an estimate for printing document 105, including an estimate forthe use consumables 132. Step 804 executes by selecting arbitrary jobcategory 402 with print job 103. As disclosed above, the operator orcustomer may select arbitrary job category 402. The print shop may havea list of arbitrary job categories from which to select for print job103.

Step 806 executes by determining job property 404 from job settings 126for print job 103. Examples of job properties are disclosed above. Morethan one job property may be determined for print job 103. Preferably,the number of job properties determined corresponds to the number of jobsettings information used to create plurality of classificationcategories 406. Job property 404 relates to a feature about print job103 and is not selected by the operator or the customer.

Step 808 executes by identifying classification category 408 fromplurality of classification categories 406 using arbitrary job category402 and job property 404. For example, the customer may select tradebook at arbitrary job category 402 and job settings 126 may define apaper size as job property 404. Classification category 408, therefore,is one for trade books having the paper size. There may be fourdifferent paper sizes available for printing trade books such thatclassification category 408 only includes job costing data for thosefitting the criteria for the classification category.

Step 809 executes by retrieving consumable use information 420 forclassification category 408. Estimation system 108 may retrieveconsumable use information 420, which includes the cumulative historicalconsumable use data for classification category 408. This data may be inthe form of a distribution chart, such as distribution chart 510. Step810 executes by applying print job 103 to job costing data forclassification category 408. The disclosed embodiments apply a propertyof print job 103 to the consumable use information 420. For example, theproperty may be the total number of sheets for print job 103.Alternatively, the property may be the total number of impressions,segments, pages, and the like. Using the total number of sheets example,print job 103 is broken into sets of sheets that are applied to theconsumable use per page ranges in the distribution chart. For example,referring to distribution chart 510, 40% of sheets are estimated to use0.05 pL of ink, 30% of sheets are estimated to use 0.06 pL of ink, 10%of sheets are estimated to use 0.03 pL of ink, and 5% of sheets areestimated to use 0.02 pL of ink, 5% of sheets are estimated to use 0.04pL of ink, 5% of sheets are estimated to use 0.07 pL of ink, and 5% ofsheets are estimated to use 0.08 pL of ink.

Step 812 executes by generating a consumable use estimate fromestimation system 108 based on consumable use information 420 for jobcosting data related to classification category 408. Estimation system108 uses the estimated values determined above to determine how much inkthat the total number of sheets uses. For a 10,000 sheet print job, 4000sheets may be estimated to use 0.05 pL of ink, and so on. Over time,distribution chart 510 may change as job costing data causes variance inthe distributions of consumable use per page. Subsequent print jobestimates will account for any changes based on the distributions. Forexample, conditions at printing device 104 may change over time suchthat more ink is used for print jobs. The disclosed estimation processaccounts for these changes. Estimation system 108 provides theconsumable use estimate to the operator or customer.

FIG. 9 depicts a flowchart 900 for verifying a classification category408 for a print job according to the disclosed embodiments. Flowchart900 may refer to FIGS. 1A to 8 for illustrative purposes. Flowchart 900,however, is not limited to the embodiments disclosed for FIGS. 1A to 8 .

Step 902 executes by performing steps 704-720 of flowchart 700. In otherwords, a consumable use value for each sheet is determined along withthe total consumable use for print job 103. Job costing data 401 isprovided as well. This information is used to generate a distributionchart for consumable use per sheet for print job, such as one shown bydistribution chart 500. It should be noted that step 714 may not beperformed for step 902 in that verification of classification category408 should be done before aggregating the job costing data into thehistorical job costing information.

Step 904 executes by retrieving historical consumable use information,such as consumable use information 420, related to classificationcategory 408 assigned to print job 103. As disclosed above, consumableuse information represents the compiled historical data for consumableuse per page for prints job related to classification category 408. Step906 executes by generating a historical distribution chart forhistorical consumable use information 420. The historical distributionchart resembles the distribution chart for print job in that it alsoinclude consumable use per page information. An example of a historicaldistribution chart may be shown by distribution chart 510 or 520.

Step 908 executes by comparing the distribution chart for print job 103to the historical distribution chart for historical consumable useinformation 420. For example, distribution chart 500 may be compared todistribution chart 510 or 520, whichever is more applicable. As one canappreciate, there most likely are differences between the twodistribution charts. Thus, step 910 executes by determining thedifferences between the two charts. Differences may include variancesbetween the consumable use per page numbers or percentages for eachrange in the charts. Referring to distribution charts 500 and 510, itmay be appreciated that there are differences between the ranges for0.016 to 0.025 pL of ink, 0.026 to 0.035 pL of ink, 0.046 to 0.055 pL ofink, and 0.076 to 0.085 pL of ink. The total amount of these differencesmay be compiled or compared to be 20%.

Step 912 executes by determining whether the differences between the twocharts are over a set amount, or threshold, for classification category408. For example, a threshold may be 35% in that differences greaterthan this amount indicates that print job 103 may have beenmisclassified. Differences below this amount indicate that print job isproperly assigned to classification category 408. This feature preventserroneous data from being aggregated to the historical consumable useinformation, which is used by estimation system 108 to provideconsumable use estimates.

If step 912 is yes, then step 914 executes by verifying classificationcategory 408 is properly assigned to print job 103. The job costing datareceived by estimation system 108 is aggregated into the historicalconsumable use information to update the information used for consumableuse estimates. If step 912 is no, then step 916 executes by sending analert that print job 103 may be improperly classified to classificationcategory 408. The operator may review the job costing data andinformation to determine whether the reclassify print job 103 or toproceed with aggregating it with the historical consumable useinformation.

FIG. 10 depicts a block diagram of estimation system 108 for verifying aconsumable use estimate 1002 according to the disclosed embodiments. Asdisclosed above in flowchart 800, estimation system 108 may provide aconsumable use estimate 1002 using consumable use information 420 forclassification category 408. Estimation system 108 may verify consumableuse estimate 1002 with the reported consumable use after printingdocument 105 for print job 103. The disclosed embodiments may use theverification to ensure that use of the classification categories isaccurate. Further, the verification may be used to determine ifsomething occurred that needs to checked. For example, if consumable useestimate 1002 is much too low for the reported consumable use, then theoperator may want to check printing device 104 for a maintenance issue.

Classification category 408 is selected using arbitrary job category 402and job property 404, as disclosed above. Estimation system 108 thenretrieves consumable use information 420 to generate consumable useestimate 1002. Consumable use information 420 may be historical data ora distribution that is takes a property of print job 103, such as thenumber of sheets or impressions, and determines the likely consumableuse. Consumable use estimate 1002 may be provided to the operator orcustomer for pricing purposes, or used by estimation system 108 toprovide an overall total estimate for print job 103.

Print job 103 is processed at DFE 106 so that document 105 is printed atprinting device 104. In completing the printing operations, DFE 106compiles job costing data 401 including total consumable use 416. Totalconsumable use 416 may be the total amount of ink or toner used to printdocument 105. Job costing data 401 and total consumable use 416 isprovided to estimation system 108. Estimation system 108 may use jobcosting data 401 to update consumable use information 420, as disclosedabove.

Estimation system 108 also may use total consumable use 416 to verifythat consumable use estimate 1002 was accurate. These items are providedto verification engine 1004 of estimation system 108. Verificationengine 1004 compares total consumable use 416 to consumable use estimate1002. If the results for these items vary by a certain amount, such as20%, then an error may have occurred. An alert may be sent to theoperator that print job 103 may have been misclassified. Otherwise,printing device 104 may have a maintenance problem that results in usingan increased amount of ink or toner. Verification engine 1004 may sendresult 1006 of the verification to the operator.

FIG. 11 depicts a flowchart 1100 for verifying consumable use estimate1002 for print job 103 using estimation system 108 according to thedisclosed embodiments. Flowchart 1100 may refer to FIGS. 1A to 10 forillustrative purposes. Flowchart 1100, however, is not limited to theembodiments disclosed by FIGS. 1A to 10 .

Step 1102 executes by generating consumable use estimate 1002, asdisclosed by step 812 above. Flowchart 800 may be executed to determineconsumable use estimate 1002 for print job 103. Step 1104 executes byprinting document 105 at printing device 104. Document 105 is theprinted version of print job 103. Step 1106 executes by generating jobcosting data 401 for printing document 105. Job costing data 401includes total consumable use 416. Step 1108 executes by providing totalconsumable use 416 along with job costing data 401 to estimation system108. Alternatively, estimation system 108 may receive job costing data401 to determine total consumable use 416 therein.

Step 1110 executes by comparing consumable use estimate 1002 to totalconsumable use 416 for print job 103. The disclosed embodiments comparethe estimated values for consumable use with the actual values incurredat printing device 104. As can be appreciated, it would be advisable todetermine if any differences exist between these values. The differencebetween these values is determined. For example, if consumable useestimate 1002 is 100 pL of ink, then it is compared to a totalconsumable use 416 of 125 pL of ink. Estimation system 108 determinesthat there is a difference of 25 pL of ink.

Step 1112 determines whether any difference between consumable useestimate 1002 and total consumable use 416 is acceptable. A differenceamount may be set, such as 20%, that indicates that the consumable useestimate was not acceptable. A 20% variance may indicate that somethingis not right with the estimation process. Alternatively, an amount ofconsumable, such as ink or toner, may be set as a threshold forverifying consumable use estimate 1002. For example, using thecomparison above, a set amount of 20% would indicate that total ink usewas above this amount and that the estimate is not verified. A thresholdof 30 pL of ink, however, would be acceptable. Verification engine 1004may perform the comparison at estimation system 108.

If step 1112 is yes, then consumable use estimate 1002 is verified andstep 1114 executes by sending result 1006 of the comparison to theoperator. Further, step 1116 executes by aggregating job costing data401 with total consumable use 416, as disclosed above in flowchart 700.Consumable use information 420 for classification category 408 isupdated with the results of printing document 105.

If step 1112 is no, then step 1118 executes by sending an alert asresult 1006 to the operator that consumable use estimate 1002 is notverified. The operator may be alerted that a problem occurred ingenerating the estimate. Maintenance or trouble shooting operations,such as calibration, may be performed on printing device 104. Step 1120may execute by performing classification verification. In other words,the operator may generate a distribution chart, like distribution charts600 and 610, to determine whether print jobs for classification category408 are distributed in a tight manner. If not, then further actions mayneed to be taken to update the classification estimation process.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present inventionmay be embodied as a system, method or computer program product.Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,the present invention may take the form of a computer program productembodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer-usableprogram code embodied in the medium.

Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readablemedium(s) may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readablemedium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic,optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus,device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustivelist) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: anelectrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computerdiskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a transmission media such as thosesupporting the Internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device.Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even bepaper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, asthe program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, opticalscanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, orotherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then storedin a computer memory.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinvention may be written in any combination of one or more programminglanguages, including an object-oriented programming language such asJava, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer,partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partlyon the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely onthe remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remotecomputer may be connected to the user's computer through any type ofnetwork, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network(WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (forexample, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

The present invention is described with reference to flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) andcomputer program products according to embodiments of the invention. Itwill be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/orblock diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computerprogram instructions. These computer program instructions may beprovided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purposecomputer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce amachine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor ofthe computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, createmeans for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams or flowchart illustration,can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems thatperform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of specialpurpose hardware and computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended toinclude plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” or“comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, or components,but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more otherfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof.

Embodiments may be implemented as a computer process, a computing systemor as an article of manufacture such as a computer program product ofcomputer readable media. The computer program product may be a computerstorage medium readable by a computer system and encoding computerprogram instructions for executing a computer process. When accessed,the instructions cause a processor to enable other components to performthe functions disclosed above.

The corresponding structures, material, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or steps plus function elements in the claims below are intendedto include any structure, material or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements are specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosenand described in order to best explain the principles of the inventionand the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill inthe art to understand the invention for embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

One or more portions of the disclosed networks or systems may bedistributed across one or more printing systems coupled to a networkcapable of exchanging information and data. Various functions andcomponents of the printing system may be distributed across multipleclient computer platforms, or configured to perform tasks as part of adistributed system. These components may be executable, intermediate orinterpreted code that communicates over the network using a protocol.The components may have specified addresses or other designators toidentify the components within the network.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications to the disclosed may be made without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the presentinvention covers the modifications and variations disclosed aboveprovided that these changes come within the scope of the claims andtheir equivalents.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for classification-basedconsumable use estimation, the method comprising: receiving a print jobat an estimation system, wherein the estimation system provides aconsumable use estimate for the print job, wherein the print jobincludes at least one job setting; identifying a classification categoryfrom a plurality of classification categories for the print job based onan arbitrary job category and a job property defined from the at leastone job setting, wherein the arbitrary job category is selected by anoperator input; retrieving consumable use information for theclassification category, wherein the consumable use information includesa distribution chart of consumable use amounts; and estimating theconsumable use estimate for the print job by applying a property for theprint job to the consumable use information.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the consumable use estimate is an ink use estimate.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the consumable use estimate is a toner useestimate.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the consumableuse information includes retrieving a distribution for consumable useper page.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the property for the printjob includes a total number of pages.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe job property is a paper type, a paper color, or a paper size.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the job property is color printing ormonochrome printing.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprisingreceiving the at least one job settings to the estimation system from adigital front end (DFE) of a printing device.
 9. The method of claim 1,further comprising receiving job costing data for the print job afterprinting operations at a printing device connected to the estimationsystem.
 10. A method for verifying a consumable use estimate for a printjob, the method comprising: receiving a print job at an estimationsystem, wherein the estimation system provides a consumable use estimatefor the print job, wherein the print job includes at least one jobsetting; identifying a classification category from a plurality ofclassification categories for the print job based on an arbitrary jobcategory and a job property defined from the at least one job setting,wherein the arbitrary job category is selected by an operator input;estimating the consumable use estimate based on the classificationcategory; printing a document for the print job; generating job costingdata for printing the document, wherein the job costing data includes aconsumable use; and verifying the consumable use estimate according tothe consumable use at the estimation system.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the consumable use estimate includes an ink use estimate. 12.The method of claim 10, wherein the consumable use estimate includes atoner use estimate.
 13. The method of claim 10, further comprisingreceiving the at least one job settings to the estimation system from adigital front end (DFE) of a printing device.
 14. The method of claim10, further comprising retrieving consumable use information for theclassification category.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein estimatingthe consumable use estimate includes estimating the consumable useestimate for the print job by applying a property for the print job tothe consumable use information.
 16. An estimation system for a printingsystem, the estimation system including a processor and a memory,wherein the memory includes instructions to configure the processor toreceive a print job at the estimation system, wherein the estimationsystem provides a consumable use estimate for the print job, wherein theprint job includes at least one job setting; identify a classificationcategory from a plurality of classification categories for the print jobbased on an arbitrary job category and a job property defined from theat least one job setting, wherein the arbitrary job category is selectedby an operator input; retrieve consumable use information for theclassification category, wherein the consumable use information includesa distribution chart of consumable use amounts; and estimate theconsumable use estimate for the print job by applying a property for theprint job to the consumable use information.
 17. The estimation systemof claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to receive theat least one job settings to the estimation system from a digital frontend (DFE) of a printing device.
 18. The estimation system of claim 16,wherein the processor is further configured to retrieve the consumableuse information, which includes retrieving a distribution for consumableuse per page.
 19. The estimation system of claim 16, wherein theconsumable use estimate includes an ink use estimate.
 20. The estimationsystem of claim 16, wherein the consumable use estimate includes a toneruse estimate.